Bhool Chuk Maaf Movie Review Rating: 
Star Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sanjay Mishra, Raghubir Yadav, Seema Pahwa, Zakir Hussain, Ishtiyak Khan
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Director: Karan Sharma
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What’s Bad: Too many repetitive sequences in the second half
Loo Break: I don’t think so!
Watch or Not?: This film was to be released in theatres, then on OTT, and is finally in movie halls. Either way, it’s okay to watch it once!
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 121 Minutes
User Rating:
Banarasi Babu has been used twice as a film title, with Dev Anand and Govinda playing three quirky characters in the respective 1973 and 1998 films (Dev had a double role). But the quirky quotient those reel-life individuals had is no match for that of Ranjan Tiwari (Rajkummar Rao), the mercurial babu from Benares here, who desires a cushy government job and that becomes a precondition to marrying his love, Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi). Misadventures follow, and weird things start happening to him when he begs the Almighty to fulfill his wishes. He gets the job but does not do what he has promised Lord Shiva—a noble deed!
Karan Sharma (also the director) has a good idea of the base and imparts a novel touch to the saga, aided by additional writer Haider Rizvi. The story aims to tell us that no job, however lucrative or promising, should be sought and acquired on grounds other than merit.
Ranjan pays a tidy sum to a middleman, ironically named Bhagwan (Sanjay Mishra), to get the position. The latter arranges that the job goes to him rather than a deserving candidate, Hamid (Akash Makhija), who is shattered and thus wants to end his life. Ranjan does not know this, and he has to go through a series of unnerving experiences.
My only quarrel (if one can call it that!) with the script is that despite the crisp length, the second half of the film goes into too much repetition, some weird jumps, and even absurdities. The climax, where the lovers’ wedding is almost cancelled, is well-executed and atones for this in a way, especially after Bhagwan’s entry. But by then, the simple-minded viewer, especially from rural or small-town origins, can be more than a shade fuddled in the way Ranjan’s experiences are depicted.
There is also an unnecessary hint that a job of any kind is not an important requisite for marriage in a common man’s life. How then will a man support his future family by merely depending on elders? And while the hero’s mother (Seema Pahwa) owns a flourishing cottage industry of pickle-making, Titli could have also worked on some job as a ‘today’ young woman. These hiccups apart, the script is quite novel and its strengths are the realistic and amusing quotients while narrating a story almost like a fable.
Finally, the need to show a Muslim deserving candidate in a Benares-centric storyline seems just an old-fashioned (Hindi cinema abounded in this until at least the 1980s) secular touch, for in view of the point being made, it could have been just about anyone.
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The film is boosted by performances that are not set to impress but to do justice to the written material and the director’s vision. Rajkummar Rao is in a home zone of sorts—doing a relatable and lifelike comedy in which he plays a human being rather than a typical hero. He is better here than in most of his recent outings. Wamiqa Gabbi, in her first big-screen feature film outing, impresses despite a comparatively shorter and not really meaty role.
Ishtiyak Khan and Dheerendra Gautam sparkle as Ranjan’s faithful confidants, Vineet Kumar as the priest, and Sanjay Mishra as Bhagwan are absolutely in sync with their characters’ needs. Special mention must also be made of the deadpan Akash Mishra as Hamid and Jay Thakkar as Ranjan’s sister Keri’s boyfriend, Sushil. Pragati Mishra shines as Keri, too.
From the elders, Seema Pahwa and Anubha Fatehpuria as Titli’s mother are the best, while Himanshu Kohli as Jiju, Poornima Sharma as his wife, Sweety, Zakir Hussain, and Raghubir Yadav are good. In small cameos, Amarjeet Singh as the decorator and Nalneesh Singh as the tailor are amusing.
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Karan Sharma scores better as a director than a writer, not just in terms of the performances but also of the execution of small nuances and touches that make a significant difference, like the falling flower pot and the way Sushil jumps from the terrace where he and Keri are caught in a romantic situation by Ranjan.
The entire film has the flavour of an authentic small-town ambience, and that, to me, is its main strength. In fact, the aroma of Benares is a consistent whiff throughout the film, and Sharma makes the pilgrimage city quite picturesque in long shots as well as close-ups, helping the light tone of the film.
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The music is so-so, and after we leave the hall, Tanishk Bagchi’s ‘Koi Na’ has a part recall. Pritam’s ‘Chor Bazaari’ re-creation from Love Aaj Kal sits easy on the ears again, while I fail to see why ‘Saawariya Tera’ needed five voices! Ketan Sodha’s background score is good, though, shorn of either noise or gimmicks that jar, as happens in some cases today.
Bhool Chuk Maaf belongs to the canon of Bareilly Ki Barfi and similar small-town comedies with a message, and can be savoured as a pleasant watch.
Three stars!
Bhool Chuk Maaf released on 23rd May, 2025.
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